Prejudices are what fools use for reason.
VoltaireRead
By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property.
Interpretation
Recognizing and valuing the excellence in others allows us to share in their achievements.
Voltaire emphasizes the importance of appreciation and gratitude in recognizing the skills and achievements of others. By acknowledging and valuing excellence in those around us, we not only uplift them but also enrich our own lives as we come to embody their successes and qualities.
In practice
During a team meeting, I shared Voltaire's quote to encourage my colleagues to recognize each other's contributions.
Prejudices are what fools use for reason.
He was a great patriot, a humanitarian, a loyal friend; provided, of course, he really is dead.
It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong.
It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it.
We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies - it is the first law of nature.
It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one.
Without doubt, the most common weakness of all human beings is the habit of leaving their minds open to the negative influence of other people.
The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason.
Hopeless emptiness. Now you've said it. Plenty of people are onto the emptiness, but it takes real guts to see the hopelessness.
Yet how hard most people work for mere dust and ashes and care, taking no thought of growing in knowledge and grace, never having time to get in sight of their own ignorance.
If you become more concerned for the welfare of others, you will experience a sense of calm, inner-strength, and self confidence.
In Japan we have the phrase, "Shoshin," which means "beginner's mind." Our "original mind" includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient within itself. This does not mean a closed mind, but actually an empty mind and a ready mind. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything. It is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.
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